How Olivia Culpo Put America Back in the Center of the Universe

Miss USA, Olivia Culpo is surrounded by contestants after being crowned Miss Universe 2012 in Las Vegas, Nevada on December 19, 2012.

Hoping to boost her acting skills, Olivia Culpo entered the Miss Rhode Island pageant last October – her first pageant – with a dress that was ripped in the back.

She won, which automatically entered her into the Miss USA contest. Ms. Culpo, 20, changed dresses, opting for one without a hole, and won again.

Wednesday night, Ms. Culpo became the first U.S. winner to capture the Miss Universe title since 1997, beating out 88 other competitors. In other words, Ms. Culpo has never lost a pageant.

“In the wake of everything so awful that’s happening in the country, it’s nice to have something uplifting going on,” the Boston University student said.

Ms. Culpo, who came from a musical family and describes herself as a “cellist nerd,” spoke to Speakeasy Thursday morning on her latest honor. The interviewed has been condensed and edited.

What goes into preparing for a pageant: It’s a lot of physical preparation, interview preparation, working out and eating healthy. You have to have an evening gown ready, practice your walking, and need to know how to do your makeup and hair. … You have a team back stage, but they’re helping everyone. You can’t bring your own people.

On the elation of winning: It felt like I was dreaming. You just can’t believe it for awhile.

On dealing with scrutiny of her personal life: I don’t really think about it, honestly. I’m not too concerned with it. If you’re honest with everything you do, you have nothing to worry about.

On putting life, education on hold: I was Miss USA, so my life was already on hold. It’s the same thing, but it’s just more international now. You get used to it.

On her potential legacy as Miss Universe: I want to raise awareness for HIV and AIDS, while being a role model for young girls across the world.

About Speakeasy

Speakeasy is a blog covering media, entertainment, celebrity and the arts. The publication is produced by Barbara Chai and Jonathan Welsh with contributions from the Wall Street Journal staff and others. Write to us at speakeasy@wsj.com or follow us on Twitter at @WSJSpeakeasy or individually @barbarachai.